A Yoknapatawpha Timeline

The area today known as Mississippi is inhabited by between 20,000
and 30,000 Native Americans, mostly Chickasaw in the north, Choctaw
in the central regions, and Natchez in the south. Hernando de Soto
reaches the present site of Columbus, but after his death in the
Natchez area, the Spanish lose interest in the region. (A
Faulkner Chronology)

August 9:By
the treaty of Fort Jackson, Indians are forced to cede their lands
to the U.S. government. The resulting territory is so large it is
divided into two states, Mississippi (1817) and Alabama (1819). (A
Faulkner Chronology)